The Decline in Black Teachers: Causes and Effects in Postwar America (Poster 26)

• In Event: Promising Scholarship in Education Research: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research

Abstract

This study asks the question, Where did all of the Black teachers go after Brown v. Board of Education? According to NCES data for 2017–2018, only about seven percent of all teachers in the United States are Black. This study examines changes in the Black teacher labor force in recent history. Specifically, this study considers the questions; what characteristics are associated with Black college graduates becoming teachers?; What are teachers’ thoughts concerning racial and urban/suburban segmentation within the teacher labor force?

This study utilizes historical analyses to examine how the Brown decision and other policies created additional barriers into the profession for Black teachers. Oral histories are used to capture the voices, thoughts, and experiences of Black teachers. Census data is utilized to explore patterns in Black teachers labor force in between 1960 and 2000. Preliminary findings suggest that the total number of Black teachers has actually increased in two-thirds of the states; however, the increase of Black teachers is not proportional to the increase in teachers overall. Additionally, the oral histories indicate that low wages are a major deterrent against prospective Black educators entering the field.

Author

• Jennifer K. Hurst, Beloit College